1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a dolly or movable platform for carrying loads. The dolly assembly of the present invention comprises a small number of components which greatly facilitate the manufacturing process as well as how to assemble the dolly for use. The present invention relates primarily to a castor supported dolly assembly, but also to a dolly assembly that can be used either with or without castors so as to provide a new pallet assembly. The present invention comprises a plurality of dolly members that are preferably formed of a lightweight material, that may also be disposable or severable, or both. Each dolly member includes one or more connecting segments and at least one supporting segment, and in some embodiments, with each structured to removably receive a castor therein. At least some of the dolly members have substantially equal or sufficiently corresponding structural features so as to be interchangeable when interconnected to form a dolly assembly. As a result, the formed dolly assembly may assume any of a plurality of different supporting orientations necessary to accommodate the physical characteristics of various objects to be movably supported.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of dolly structures is quite common for different applications and across a variety of different industries. As such, dolly structures can be generally categorized as platform dollies, hand trucks, mobile carts, furniture trucks, etc. In each instance, these different types of dollies are intended for use in movably supporting different types of objects over various surfaces. Moreover, the objects being movably supported may vary in weight, size, configuration, etc., requiring the selection of a particular type of dolly in order to accommodate the physical characteristics of the object(s) with which the dolly is intended to be used. However, the vast majority of known dolly structures, regardless of their use, are typically structured to be heavy, relatively large and formed of durable, comparatively high strength material.
By way of example, platform dollies usually have a relatively large platform supported by a plurality of wheels, rollers, castors, etc., which are fixedly secured to the under-portion of the platform. In contrast, hand trucks normally comprise an elongated, vertically extending, upper portion attached to a lower portion having an outwardly extending supporting platform. As with platform dollies, the hand truck usually includes fixedly or permanently attached wheels connected generally at the junction of the upper and lower portions. Somewhat similarly, movable carts for supporting one or more objects of different weights may also be considered a dolly structure. Weight supporting carts normally include a supporting base and a retaining structure associated therewith in a manner which facilitates the movable support of one or more different objects. Similar to the other dollies noted herein, these cart types of dollies are also characterized by a heavy material that is durable construction and intended to have a long operable life.
In addition, each of the above noted types of dolly structures normally includes a fixed or only minimally alterable operative configuration. As such, many known or conventional dolly structures cannot be effectively reduced in size, such as by being collapsed or folded, into a configuration which would facilitate storage, transportation and overall handling thereof, when the dolly structure is not being used.
Also, the structures of some known dolly assemblies may be limited for use in only specific applications. However, a prominent consideration in the design and structuring of conventional dollies is the weight, size and shape of the object(s) that will be carried or supported as a load. In turn, such considerations will most probably affect the size, configuration of and overall weight bearing abilities of the dolly being used. By way of example, large platform dollies are generally intended to accommodate large and/or relatively heavy objects, some of which may have a bulky shape or configuration. Accordingly, dollies of this type are large, heavy and formed of durable materials, and are not intended to be disposable, but in contrast, to have a long operable life.
Some of the problems and disadvantages associated with known or conventional dolly structures, therefore, include their inability to be easily altered in size and/or configuration in order to accommodate the support of objects having different physical characteristics. Because of such a lack of operative versatility, a consumer may be required to purchase or otherwise access a number of different dollies, each intended for a different application.
In turn, lighter weight or smaller dolly structures including, but not limited to hand trucks, may be structured to movably support smaller, relatively lighter loads than the aforementioned platform dollies. These type of dollies may include at least some adjustable features or components in order to facilitate the handling and use thereof. However, such adjustable features do not normally allow the dolly to be enlarged or variably configured into significantly different configurations, which are more adaptive to support objects having larger or unusual shapes.
Therefore, there is an unrecognized need in the field of art relating to the design and manufacture of dollies or other movable support platforms for a dolly assembly that is capable of assuming a variety of different supporting orientations and which is yet also able to facilitate the movable support of a variety of different objects. If any such dolly assembly were made, it would ideally have only a very small number of components so as to greatly facilitate the manufacturing process as well as how one assembles the dolly for use. Any such dolly assembly would ideally have dolly members that are identical and connectable so as to be interchanged and to form a dolly assembly in a variety of operative positions. In addition, the versatility and commercial availability of any such proposed dolly assembly would be enhanced if the all or at least some of the dolly members were formed from a lightweight material that if desired and sufficiently economical, could be readily disposed of. More specifically, a “disposable” material may be determined to be sufficiently inexpensive and readily available to economically justify the disposal thereof after a single use or after a relatively few number of uses. Moreover, the versatility and commercial availability of any such proposed dolly assembly would further be enhanced if the dolly members were formed from a lightweight material that is also severable. It is recognized that if a dolly assembly were created from a lightweight material, or even from a disposable and/or severable material, this may be counterintuitive, but if this were possible and operable, that it could serve to significantly reduce the cost and/or purchase price typically associated with dollies. This, in turn, would readily allow a much larger number of consumers to purchase and/or obtain a dolly, or a requisite number of dolly members for a particular move, whenever and wherever needed, to form an appropriately structured dolly assembly into an accommodating supporting orientation so as to facilitate the movable support of one or more intended objects thereon.
Moreover, it would be ideal if any such dolly assembly were also capable of being assembled and used as a pallet, namely, one that is structured to readily receive the forks or other lifting structure associated with a vehicle commonly known as a fork-lift into passages formed within or underneath the assembly, for moving the pallet and a load carried thereon from one location to another.